112 YEARBOOK, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE. [Vol. I. 



Here, under the leadership of such men as Samuel Adams, Patrick 

 Henry, and George \\'ashington. the great, fundamental principles 

 of democracy began to crystallize, principles which have swept 

 autocracy from most of the world and which were the basic cause 

 of the great World War, which began in 1914. 



"Protests, in the form of the 'Declaration of Rights,' sent by 

 this First Colonial Assembly, to George III brought only more 

 drastic measures of oppression. 



"The first storm center of the Revolution was Boston, where 

 the British troops were commanded by General Gage. The Col- 

 onists had banded together into the 'jMinute Men' and, while they 

 were untrained in military tactics, each was a good shot and ex- 

 perienced Indian fighter. They had small stores of munitions 

 which Gage had several times attempted to locate and capture. 



"On April 15, 1775. John Hancock and Samuel Adams took 

 refuge in Lexington. General Gage determined to capture these 

 'rebel' leaders, together with munitions stored in a barn at Con- 

 cord. On this mission he quietly dispatched 800 British regulars at 

 11 P. M. on the night of April ISth. 



"The Colonists were, however, on the alert and the famous 

 'midnight ride of Paul Revere' alarmed the Minute Men, and en- 

 abled Hancock and Adams to escape and the stores to be removed 

 to a place of safety. 



Battle of Lexington 



"The first show of resistance to the British was on Lexington 

 Common at half past four on the morning of April 19th. Here 60 

 to 70 Colonists had assembled. The British fired several vollies 

 and the Colonists a few desultory shots before retiring. Eight of 

 their number were killed and ten wounded. The British Avere vic- 

 torious in this skirmish, but it was a very dearly bought victory, 

 for it was the beginning of eight years of war and resulted in the 

 loss to Britain of her colonies and the founding of the United 

 States of America. 



Battle of Concord 



"The British now hastened on to Concord, but found that the 

 stores had been removed. At North Bridge in Concord they en- 

 countered another group of Minute ]\Ien under the leadership of 



